g towards him, and seizing his
hand with fervour to kiss, I exclaimed, 'The least of your slaves will
always prove to be the most faithful of your servants: speak, and you
will always find me ready, even to death.'

'That is well spoken,' said he, with great composure, 'and now listen to
me. The man I allude to is Mirza Firouz' (here my countenance fell, and
I drawled out in answer a long '_belli_, yes'). 'The truth is, I have
lately discovered that his influence with the Shah has been considerably
upon the increase. He possesses such great volubility of speech, and
such vast command of language,--he flatters so intensely, and lies so
profoundly,--that the king is more amused by him than by any other man
of his court. Who knows how far he may go? Besides, I am assured that
secretly he is my most bitter enemy, whilst openly he affects to be my
most devoted of servants; and although to this day I have never for a
moment dreaded the hatred or the intrigues of any one, yet I cannot but
own, that, in this instance, I am not without my fears. By sending him
among the infidels, as the Shah's representative, I at once cut off the
source of my uneasiness; and once let him be gone, I will so arrange
matters, that even should he return successful from his mission (which,
please God, he never may!) he shall never acquire the influence over the
Shah which he is now attempting to establish.'

I agreed to all he said with hesitation; and was losing myself in the
reflection how I could possibly turn this piece of confidence to my own
advantage, when the vizier accosted me again, and said:--

'I have only let you into one part of my scheme: the second object is,
that you, Hajji, should accompany the ambassador in the capacity of his
first mirza, or chief secretary. You, who are my friend and confidant,
who know all my wishes, and who have an intimate knowledge of all that
has occurred since the arrival of the infidels, you are precisely the
man to fill this situation, and you will render me the greatest of
services by accepting my proposal.'

However delighted I might have been at the prospect of becoming the
chief of an embassy, yet when I was offered the inferior appointment,
my feelings were very different. I felt that in quitting the situation I
now enjoyed, I should leave the high road to preferment, to get into one
of its crooked lanes. Besides, I strongly participated in the national
antipathy, the horror of leaving one's coun